Embodiments herein generally relate to a method for manufacturing a print cartridge cleaning blade, and more particularly, concerns a method of using a continuous core to create a print cartridge cleaning blade.
Therefore, the embodiments herein present a method that feeds a continuous core of a print cartridge cleaning blade along a path. The path passes, in the following order, firstly through a coating bath or spray coating station, secondly by a curing station, thirdly through a cutter, and fourthly to a finisher station. In one example, the continuous core can be fed between the different manufacturing stations along guides.
Thus, the methods herein first coat portions of the continuous core that are in the coating bath/spray station with an outer covering. For example, the core can be supplied to the coating bath from a spool of core material. When performing such bath coating, the methods herein can apply an electrical charge to the coating bath and the continuous core.
For portions of the continuous core that are adjacent the curing station, the method cures the outer covering of the continuous core. The curing process can comprise, for example, evaporating moisture and solvents from the coating, applying heat to the coating, and/or applying ultra-violet light to the coating.
Similarly, for portions of the continuous core that are in the cutter, the method cuts the continuous core into predetermined lengths; and for portions of the predetermined lengths of the continuous core that are adjacent the finishing station, the method finishes the outer covering of the predetermined lengths of the continuous core to produce a finished print cartridge cleaning blade.
These and other features are described in, or are apparent from, the following detailed description.